Foolish Games Part 1: The Mind and the Eye
by Shirasham
Summary: Six new regions, at least eight new Legendary Pokemon, a secret plot not by Team Rocket, but within the heart of Pokemon, and one killer competition. Who can make it?
1. Meet the Group

Foolish Games  
  
Part 1: The Mind and the Eye  
  
Chapter 1: Meet the Group  
  
Date: 10/20/03  
  
Hello! ^_^ so, my first fic here! This part's here mainly to set the stage and introduce the characters, hope u like!  
  
~Shirasham  
  
Disclaimer: Clean, clear and simple: I DO NOT own Pokemon nor anything related to it. Nor am I Wonder Woman. Hey, I can dream, can't I? ;)  
  
It was dark. Too dark to see anything but a large, vertical ring of fire suspended about seven feet in the air. But he could sense two figures. Two large figures, by even his status. At last, the silence was broken.  
  
"You know, that crap contest starts in a month. We may have some company" said a rough, weather-worn, intelligent voice  
  
"Why do you bother to keep track of that nonsense? They come, they come." this voice sent chills up his spine the first time he heard it. It was what can only be described as the essence of power and terror melded in to one, lumbering sound. And it was coming from near the ring of fire.  
  
"They come, we eat. That's why I keep track. Humans are the only ones too blinded by their own ego to sense their own demise. It's been decades since another Pokemon came down here."  
  
"You sound like you think we need to eat. We're not even hungry. We never will be- you know all of this."  
  
"Doomsday- you really are content with just sitting down here forever, aren't you? Well, fine!"  
  
"Oh, yeah, how bored we are- God, you sound like a wife. Any more interruptions from humans and we wouldn't even be able to complete-"  
  
"I didn't say we weren't busy, I just think it all gets a bit repetitive. You've got to at least admit to that. And we both know we can't even really start until the right one finally gets down here."  
  
"Yes, yes. . . you were wrong about one thing, though, Apocalypse." grunted Doomsday.  
  
"Do tell."  
  
"Another Pokemon has been down here. Been down here allot."  
  
He had trouble keeping his stomach down as two big red freakish eyes locked on to his from the center of the fiery circle, then another pair to the right.  
  
Oh God, he thought, but he had learned to show no fear, even in the face of death, as he was surely doing now.   
  
"It's time we get some answers", grunted Doomsday, ". . . now" and two hideous horned heads burst into view mere feet from his own.  
  
He never even flinched.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
27 days later  
  
Yeah, this is the life. Big palm trees all around you, the sand slushing lazily under your feet, and the weather always just right. If only all theses morons weren't just standing around squaking like Pidgeys and wasting oxygen. When the stocky little fat dude with our Pokeballs came stomping out of the jungle with a huge brown cloth bag painfully slung over his shoulder, giving him a Santa Clause-ey appearance, just as I had anticipated the little ankle-biters went rabid trying to get their Pokemon. After a bit of this the cook at our school, good 'ole Marge, managed to beat off all the little wieners long enough for our Battle-Ed teacher, Mr. Tasuki, to step in.  
  
"Okay!" he shouted, "We are ready to begin giving out your Pokemon-" -yup, our prepaid, precaught pretamed Pokemon- "If I may have your attention please!" he glanced down at his wrist. "Hey!! Who took my watch!? *sigh*. Anyways, those of you new to this school may be wondering what's going on and why we've taken you here to Tando- not to mention why you're just now receiving your Pokemon. Well, Tando is the only one of the regions without a district school, which makes for no competition and a perfect place for the first annual Race for the Legends! (announced last school term)" A few unenthusiastic cheers. "so now, after we get all the Pokemon handed out we'll explain the rules. Alphabetically, Mr. Jones?" he nodded. "okay," Mr. Tasuki began again, "when your name is called, come up here and bring your proof of purchase to give to Mr. Jones.", he paused, surveying the small teenage crowd for any sign of mischief. Seemingly satisfied, he called "Let's begin!" Santa Clause cleared his throat and looked around anxiously.  
  
"Aisaki, Umi!" heads turned to look at me so fast I heard several painful-sounding cracks.   
  
Yes, I am the acclaimed Umi Aisaki, called usually something much more immature by the little snots at school, whose mother, Lara Aisaki, was second-in-command of the old Team Rocket group famous so long ago, and who now is in jail, put away by my more-famous father, Sean Aisaki. My father was a completely other story, the more 'poor-uneducated-Pokemaster-dreaming-child-become-champ' kind of story on the cover of so many tabloids. But what's made me even more famous is that he's been missing for over three months, three months that I've spent at the White Jay School of Pokemon Journeying.   
  
I took the proof of purchase out of my pocket and almost threw it at Santa Clause, I was so mad. WHY does my name have to start with an A?? Trying to ignore all the anticipating stares, Mr. Smith started rummaging in his big sac, which was full of Pokeballs, muttering "72966 . . . 72966 . . .", the barcode number on my proof of purchase. "72002 . . . 71966 . . . 20540 . . .hm . . ." he stuck his hand into the very bottom of the sac, and his whole arm was enveloped in Pokeballs. After a few uncomfortable moments of his mumbling and rummaging, he gave a triumphant grunt. "72966! Here you go, miss Aisaki." Mr. Tasuki turned to the crowd again. "Please don't open your Pokeballs until we get to Vennes Village. Under penalty of suspension, that is. You have been warned. Meanwhile, I advise you to socialize with your fellow students, because you'll need a 5-person group by tomorrow" worried murmurs broke out within the small group. "There are 15 people here, it's really a simple task. Especially compared to what's to come" he let out an evil laugh that silenced the students. "Sorry. Okay, let's continue."  
  
What bull! I don't know anyone here! I've only been here for three months! . . . okay, I guess I'd better explain. Let's start from the beginning, the regions. Their names are Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Gaeto, Tando, Armado, Chrodo, Agedo, and Aeria. The 'to' group, Kanto Johto and Hoenn (Hoenn because it's in the same area) is very simple- they have their own leagues and schools- the district school is the region's best school on that island. Gaeto's district school is the White Jay School of Pokemon Journeying, like I said. A school's length is two years, and in that two years you learn everything about all the islands, Pokemon, Pokemon battles, the Pokemon Journey, Pokemon breeding, Pokemon legends, what little we know about Legendary Pokemon, and the history of them. And there's even more, it's really pretty packed with information. It's harder to go to school instead of just getting up and going on your journey, but in the end it really helps with alot of difficult decisions, like if you'd rather breed or whatever, what Pokemon you'd like to choose first, where you'd like to go, and all that junk. So it's not all that bad. Also, it raises your Trainers Rank up seven notches to 'semi-experienced'. Mostly, worried parents send their kids. But it's also like a boarding school, and that's why I'm here. My parents are gone, so school's the only place for me to go, and I won't need any parents on my journey, so I guess it's for the better. Anyway, there's's the 'to regions. Now, the 'do regions, Tando, Chrodo, Agedo, and Armado. These are unique. They have the worst ranking district schools, but they're also the most interesting and mysterious regions of them all. When they were first discovered, there were these huge square boulders in the center of each region. They had writing on them, in Legend- a.k.a., the language of the legendary Pokemon. Scientists managed to study their little brains out and decode them. They were sorta poem-things, so we call them the doems- you know, 'do-poem? Yeah, lame. We had to memorize one in school, the Tando doem. it goes like this:  
  
The first of the warnings of legends of old   
  
comes first from the light of immortal sold  
  
For when the end comes what will have been sign  
  
is surely not a tale of yours or mine.  
  
The shadow the heavens the sun and the moon  
  
can fight with fear not, for there is no word soon  
  
The time of your failings is not far at all  
  
for the cunning the danger have too long been though small  
  
in this bliss of eternal blue  
  
rests me but no other, only I knew  
  
But this tale I shall tell you we can all see is right  
  
and to my relief does not tell of my plight  
  
the first hint of the five that have been set  
  
is from none but the prophet, no other are let  
  
'the home of the heavens is no other but the place where  
  
the heavens are always in bluest of bloom, only there  
  
But before long, this beach will bloom red   
  
and the heavens will be no more, but this is too soon to be said  
  
ye readers of this profound prophecy  
  
the danger lies not here, but in the land of dark fantasy  
  
the danger will start here, that I see  
  
the most damned of the brothers is stirring up quite something for me  
  
but how to stop them? This I know, too'  
  
did you like the fist hint? Neither did I  
  
but there at the end is a glimmer of hope, so one must defy  
  
but I'll not tell you what it is, or even not why  
  
for this you're to search up high or down low  
  
for my sister, I pity you, but now I must go  
  
Now seriously, what kind of poem is that? Bet it was alot better in Legend language. We don't know Chrodo, Agedo or Armado's doems, they keep it a secret- only citizens of the region know what it is. But the weird thing is: why don't people, like reporters or whatever, go over there, find out, and tell it to some newspaper agency on another region? I mean, there must be a million ways to find it out. Creepy, huh? I'm gonna go check it out once this stupid contest is over. But the thing that really makes the regions special is because of what they actually are. Chrodo's the mountain region, Tando's the beach region, Agedo's the sky region, and Armado's the mystery region. We don't know much about Armado, it has a little bit of everything, it is said. It's also supposed to be a region sacred to Pokemon so, of course, it's probably been desecrated to the ground. Or maybe not, they say it's pretty wild. You know, all those nature-goers on TV go there to look at Pokemon and places and stuff. I don't watch that stuff, though. Tando doesn't have a district school or anything, so that's why they let their doem out. Alot of non-'do regionders hate the others for 'withholding important information'. I personally don't see why, but if it's their business, it's their business. Well, that's the 'dos.   
  
Now to Aeria. Aeria's south of all the regions, very south, so it's, like, all alone down there. Aeria's school is the Great Eye School of Pokemon Journeying, and it's the best ranking school of them all, we're second only to them. I've never met anyone who's been there, so I don't know anything about it, but this is our chance to prove that Gaeto's is the best school. Well, I don't give a flying monkey, but it sounds interesting enough!  
  
Suddenly, a hand closed on my shoulder. Embarrassingly, I jumped about two feet into the air, with everyone staring, and screamed "What do ya think yer doin'???" , letting my Gaeto accent get the better of me, to the person behind me. I had to look about 5 inches down.   
  
"S-sorry!," said the girl, "I didn't realize you were so . . . high-strung!" she said nervously.  
  
I gave her a menacing stare and headed back to my place under a palm tree.  
  
"Wait!" she trotted up to my side.   
  
"What do you want??" I said irritatedly. I sat back down in my spot and fumbled around with my new Pokeball, waiting for her answer.   
  
"Really, now!" she sat down a foot across from me. "Okay, let's start over. Hi, my name's Sae Riroi." she put on a plastered, perky grin that matched the rest of her. Her blonde hair was deftly sprayed and pulled into a palm tree-resembling ponytail on the top of her head that splayed everywhere, with two locks of fringe trailing down shoulder-length. She had numerous clips and pins decorating the rest of it, and her bright green eyes danced in the sunlight. "Would you like to be in my group?"  
  
I looked dramatically to each side. "what group?"   
  
She squirmed uncomfortably. "Well, it'll be a group if you join- then we'll only need three more people!"  
  
" . . ."  
  
"please?"  
  
God save me from this cheery psychopath.  
  
"I'll think about it."  
  
she smiled again, ignoring the murderous get-out-of-my-face look I gave her.  
  
"So do you know what Pokemon you're getting?"  
  
"No. My dad's lawyer chose."  
  
"Yeah, I don't know either. It's sorta tradition for the parents, or whatever, to choose the Pokemon. Most don't tell their kids which they chose."  
  
"Is that so." My face was hurting from keeping up my murderous look, and I ended up looking constipated, so I gave it up.   
  
"yeah . . .Well, why don't we start looking for new recruits for our group?"  
  
So we slowly scanned everyone in the crowd, another group was being formed, too, so we looked for loners."  
  
"How 'bout him?"  
  
"Naw, he's taller than me. Don't like that in a guy."  
  
"Maybe he'll come in handy, though . . . okay, how about . . ." Sae frowned.   
  
"What?"  
  
"There's only 14 people here, not 15."  
  
"_ you're supposed to include yourself."   
  
She frowned harder. "I did!"  
  
I did a quick count, and there WERE only 14 people. "Hm, that's odd. Oh, wait. I guess that's the missing person." I nodded behind us to a tall, skinny figure racing to get to us.   
  
"Oh!" said Mr. Tasuki, finally noticing, "Ms. Roudega!" he ran up to meet the girl, but everyone else was too interested in their Pokeballs and groups to notice.   
  
"Riroi, Sae!" called Santa Clause.  
  
"Oh, that's me. Gotta go. Hey, ask her if she wants to join!" and she was off.  
  
"Don't boss me around!" I grumbled to myself, and turned back to Mr. Tasuki and the girl.  
  
***  
  
Jas  
  
"I'm so sorry, Mr. Tasuki!" I ran up to my Battle Ed. teacher, "It was horrible! The bus never came, and I couldn't afford to rent a Pigeot! I had to hitchhike here!" and that wasn't the HALF of it.   
  
"Mr. Tasuki nodded understandingly. "That's okay. Glad you made it! We're only handing out the Pokeballs right now, and your name hasn't been called yet, so there's nothing to worry about. Try to find yourself a group, there's 15 people here including you, so it'll be easy. Okay? Just sit down somewhere. Oh, and here's your proof of purchase. Bring it up to Mr. Smith over there. . . " he pointed to a short stocky fellow behind a collapsible desk . . . Santa Clause? ". . . when your name is called. Well, that about covers it. Good luck, Janis!" I smiled and nodded. Hmm, a group. .   
  
I scanned the scene and found an aggregated-looking girl trying to avoid my gaze. My first victim! I walked over and sat down beside her.   
  
"Hi! My name's Janis Roudega, but you can call me Jas. You wouldn't happen to need somebody for your group, would you?"  
  
She gave a very irritated-sounding sigh and raised her head. Wow- she looks just like a movie star or something! Fine strawberry-blonde hair fell delicately around her neck and just past her shoulders, waving out slightly at the ends, and she had about four hair clips keeping her long bangs out of her face, just letting a few strands stray, landing perfectly. Her shocking cherry-colored eyes rose to met mine- woah, she looks familiar...   
  
"Yeah, sure. That's three people now. Welcome aboard."  
  
"What's your name?" where have I seen her before??  
  
"Umi Aisaki."  
  
"K-wargh!!" behold, the weirdest surprised cough in history!  
  
"Sorry, I don't speak Klingon." she said, letting a ghost of a smile catch her pale face.  
  
"Umi Aisaki! Your dad was in Champion magazine, and, and TKO, and Legend-Captors. . .!!"  
  
"Damned magazines. . ." she muttered under her breath.  
  
"Roudega, Janis!" Santa called.  
  
"Oh, sorry, I'll be right back!" I said automatically and in a daze, I set off towards Mr. Smith.  
  
Sae  
  
I held the Pokeball in my hands for a moment, savoring the sweet prologue of my Pokemastery. I will be a champion!! An undefeatable, undeniable master of all the Pokemon in this strength-abiding world!! So it begins!! I walked away as a "Roudega, Janis!" was being called. It felt too good to be true, after waiting so long, and the urge to pinch my arm kicked in. I started back towards Umi, cradling my new Pokeball, when I saw the tall skinny girl from before, and tapped her on the shoulder, subconsciously mimicking my earlier action towards Umi, as she brushed past.   
  
"Did Umi ask you to join our group?"  
  
"Oh, yeah! So it's you two?"  
  
"Yeah. We'd better find guys for the 4th and 5th of our group." she smiled, and we both headed for Mr. Smith. I briefly wondered if I was the only one appreciating the beautiful scenery of the exotic island- the yellow-white sand duned sand sparkling and softly reflecting the colors of my uniform, the tall, soothing trees on the trail's side, waving gently with the flow of the wind and making that unique sound you only hear on the beach, the calls of the Spearow and Pidgey, fighting and eating who-knows-what, the brisk smell of the ocean wafting through the trees and people. . . great for battle!!  
  
"I don't know about you, . . .", she began, "but I've had my eye on those two over there." she jerked her head over to two boys leaning against a particularly thick tree. I felt my face break into a grin.  
  
"Perfect . . ."  
  
The girl got her Pokeball and we stepped, wondering whether to go to first- Umi or the guys? For me, the choice was obvious.   
  
"We'd better go gather up those boys first. Umi might get a bit . . . touchy. Janis, right?"  
  
"Call me Jas. Why the guys first? I think there's a better chance of them joining if Umi's with us."  
  
I could tell she was excited about her first Pokemon, though she was trying hard to stick with the program.   
  
Well, then there's the problem of her letting them join. I'm betting they're more flexible than her."  
  
"Really? How long have you known her?"  
  
"About fifteen minutes."  
  
To my slight relief, she smiled.   
  
"You know, I think they'll be more flexible, too"  
  
So, with our heads held high- well, hers anyways, towering over my whole 5'00" self- , and our feet sloshing in the sand, we headed over.   
  
"Hi!"  
  
"Hi."  
  
*akward silence*  
  
I picked up where Jas left off. "Well, we've got three people total in our group so far, do you wanna join?"  
  
My favorite- the one that had stunning white-blonde hair with his long bangs draped to one side of his face, and gorgeous violet eyes- smiled and raised his eyebrows questioningly to his friend- a tanned, lean-yet-muscular guy with also long black bangs draped gracefully across his indifferent dark green eyes- who gave an amused nod back.   
  
Then I realized I must have looked like a fourth-grader next to Jas. She's really tall- about 5'8'', and her black hair brushed a few inches past her shoulders, and the hair above her ears were put into two small, messy ponytails, and the rest was framing her face and deep gray eyes. But I guess I wasn't that bad, because oh joy:  
  
"We'd love to." says the blonde. The other guy glanced behind us.  
  
"Where's your third?"  
  
"Oh, we'll go get her. Be right back!" and we ran off.  
  
We probably would have made a better impression if we hadn't had to wear outfits with the Gaeto colors- black and gold. The girl's outfit was a gold tanktop with spaghetti straps and a thick black black stripe on the bottom, which continued down on the top of the gold shorts that went down to our knees. At least we got to wear our own shoes- but we all wore sandals anyway. The guy's outfit isn't much different- they had dark gold tees and also knee-length black shorts. Most of them were wearing sockless sneakers. Yes, I pay attention to fashion, but that doesn't mean I'm a bimbo, or that I'm not a ruthless Pokemon battlist to boot. But anyway . . .  
  
"Umi! We've found the rest of our group!," we started to call, but Mr. Tasuki interrupted us.   
  
"Okay, please find your seats, we're about to start with the Race for the Legends instructions and rules. One minute!"  
  
So I grabbed her arm and we ran back to the guys.   
  
"Wh-what're you doing??" she cried, "You're going to wrench my arm off!"  
  
I kept my eyes on the two boys- and to my great dismay, when my blonde saw Umi, he raised his eyebrows in surprise.  
  
We quickly sat down in a circle and said our hellos as Umi scowled at the two boys. They were both taller than her.  
  
***  
  
Umi  
  
Seriously!! The nerve!! How could they choose without me? It was Sae who was begging me to group with her!! Nevertheless, though, I decided to sit down and glare at them.  
  
"Okay, time's up!" everyone standing immediately sat down where they were. Mr. Tasuki cleared his throat. "Right, the instructions. There are two fierce competitors stationed around each region. They are in uniform, and they will be wearing the colors of whatever region they are on at the time, in Tando's case, yellow and green. Once you beat one, they will give you a small plastic card with the picture and name of a Pokemon or Gym. You have to catch this Pokemon or defeat this Gym's leader. They're not always necessarily in that region. The Pokemon are different for each group, which is to say, you may both have one of the same Pokemon on your lists, but they will be in a different order, example, like if one group has to catch a Beedrill on their second card, another group may have to catch one on their ninth. However, most of the Pokemon you have to catch will have a higher rating than your current trainers rating or be equivalent to it.   
  
"Anyway, after you beat the eighteenth competitor, you will receive a Pigeot carrying a card with the picture and name of a Legendary Pokemon. The faster you finished the other tasks, the harder the legend will be. You will have to capture it. Your Legends will be from the following list: Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres, Delquatro, Dezcinco (pronounced Dez-sin-coh, not Dez-seenko), Demises, Raikou, Entei, Suicune, Lugia, Ho-oh, Kyogre, Groudon, Rayquaza, Regice, Regirock, Registeel, Nautilus, M (or Missingno.), Latias, Latios, Raeborn, Raephoenin (pronounced Ray-fee-nin), and . . ." he lowered his voice to a whisper and spoke very quickly, but we caught every word, "ApocolypseandDoomsdayand if there's a tie-" the huge gasp from the crowd stopped him in mid-sentence, me included. Apocalypse and Doomsday . . even their names were swear words! Those two are the most diabolical, hellish Legends ever to darken the world. HOW could ANYONE send a pack of 14-year-olds after them?!?  
  
"What the hell??" I yelled at Mr. Tasuki, "You tryin' to kill us?? Nobody can KILL them, let alone catch them, if every Pokemon in the world gathered up and used a hyper beam!!" Mr. Tasuki sighed.   
  
"I promise you it will be as safe as if you were in your own homes. Your clothes even have emergency buttons, remember the Gaeto pin you received during graduation two days ago? They haven't been activated yet, but they will be tomorrow, and if you are in trouble, we'll send a team out to get you. We have stations just about everywhere, though you won't run into any- they're very temporary and if any contestant gets too close we pack up. Don't worry about a thing. Anyway, as I was saying . ." the shocked silence of the room dissolved into intrigued murmurs. Stupid prats, whoever goes after THOSE two will die. And it won't be a pretty death, either. We'd better take our time, then, if rhe fastest teams get the hardest legends.   
  
"If two or more groups manage to capture their legend, and after the first one is caught we give the other teams a month to capture one, then the slowest group so far will be eliminated, and the tied teams will be assigned the eliminated group's legend. All tie breakers start here, on this very trail.   
  
There are only a few simple rules: you can fight other Race for the Legend groups, but you cannot assist each other, you cannot trade Pokemon during the contest, you are not allowed to use Master Balls except for the Legends, rare candies, and no joining in clubs or activities during the competition. That is all. Oh yes, and no stealing anybody's watches- especially teachers. We will be heading to Vennes Village now. I hope you all have a good journey. Now, let's pack up! No talking, please. The Pokemon around here can be quite mean, especially the birds. It's your own funeral. Hop to it, let's go!" he spun around happily, heading not on the path but into the trees, Santa right behind.   
  
The rest of my group exchanged grins, picked up their backpacks and followed Mr. Tasuki through the trees. We walked silently, though I'm sure Sae was itching to talk to our newest members. Then the blonde boy handed me a notebook-paper note, saying:  
  
Hi! My name's Nao Palbot, and my friend's name is Yenke Dawson. What are your names?  
  
I gave the note to Jas and Sae, who grinned and wrote on the back:  
  
I'm Sae Riroi, this is Jas Roudega (black hair), and Umi Aisaki.  
  
The boys read it over, and this time Yenke wrote:  
  
Umi Aisaki? Lucky we got you, eh? Any of you know what Pokemon you got?  
  
Sae, Jas and I exchanged glances and I wrote:  
  
No. Does anyone? Where're you two from, anyways?  
  
Nao wrote:  
  
I'm from Cerulean, Kanto, Yenke's from Livid, Chrodo. Good old mountain boy, he is.  
  
Nao rolled his eyes and mouthed 'rich snob!'  
  
I couldn't help but smile. He might have some sense, after all. Then, along bird calls, the sounds of civilization reached us and through the trees we could see a clearing.  
  
"Here we are!", Mr. Tasuki called, "Vennes Village! We rented this little hut for tonight, you'll rest and sleep there. Now's your free time, all night, so make good use of it!"  
  
It wasn't really a hut, it was lots of leaves and straw strung together in a shallow pyramid-shape atop four tall dangerously thin sticks. The whole thing was upon a raised mound of land, almost like a town square. The ground underneath our feet was now nice and dry as the sand faded away. To the left was the village, and though I expected everyone to look like a more tropical version of Little Caesar's "Pizza, pizza" guy, the people looked surprisingly modern, mostly clothed in tank tops or T-shirts, or sometimes no shirts at all. The houses, however, were just how I pictured them, made of dried mud bricks and the top once again thatched and covered with large leaves and vine ropes. It seemed a quiet, pleasant little town. Then there was a flash of light as a Vulpix appeared near the front of the line.   
  
"We can open our Pokeballs now!" someone yelled. A ripple of excitement jarred the crowd out of their silent wonder, most coming from large towns like myself, and I grinned despite myself. An onix appeared next, and we decided to find a nice little area for ourselves, on the far side of the clearing near the trees. We were all smiling almost moronically in or excitement. Nao held out his hand dramatically towards Jas, who shook her head and took a step backwards.  
  
"Are you okay?" asked Sae. She squirmed.  
  
"My... my parents are kinda poor... we couldn't afford a really good Pokemon.." A Pokemon is a Pokemon, I though silently. It's not her fault she's poor.  
  
"That's okay!" Nao said trying to cheer her up. "My mum keeps an old Metapod in the attic. He hasn't moved in years! Makes a good boogieboard, though." Jas grinned.  
  
"Okay, but I'll go last."  
  
I pulled my Pokeball out of my pocket. It was time to get started. "Okay, I'll go first!" I threw the Pokeball on the ground, watching hawklike, and a soft gray Pokemon burst into view, swishing its tail menacingly... not! It was a one-and-a-half foot Mareep! Thought Mareep were supposed to be yellow.. and fluffy. The sleek, silent Pokemon before me wasn't as sheeplike as I'd imagined a Mareep to be, but that didn't dampen my spirits. Sae, however, got to her first.  
  
"Oh! How cute!" I quickly picked her up out of the teen's groping claws, with her long striped tail hanging down over my arm.  
  
"I'm next!!" Cried Sae gleefully, and I cooed softly to my new Pokemon, not quite sure if she could understand me. Sae threw her Pokeball on the ground with a vengeance, and I must admit, her Pokemon mad much more of an appearance than mine, this one really was swishing its tail menacingly.  
  
"Wow, that must've cost you." commented Yenke, staring at the newest addition, a large Dratini. Nao smiled listfully.  
  
"A Dratini! I tried to order it, but they said it was taken! What a coincidence. My mother found out and grounded me for the rest of the summer for trying to order mine myself. Let's see what she's chosen." he threw his customized gray Pokeball, and a 5'6" bird made entirely of a silvery metal appeared. It was quite a sight. The sun gleamed off its contours perfectly, almost blinding in the setting sunlight. Oddly, the Scarmory had violet eyes not unlike his new owner's. "Cool!" Nao breathed, his eyes sparkling like a child's. "I didn't know Scarmory were so... regal."  
  
"It's really young," said Sae, "It'll be about seven and a half feet tall fully grown. You also have to deal with its bad temper though, all Scarmory are tempermental." We raised our eyebrows in unison. She might be useful.  
  
"Hey, why didn't you tell us you were a genius? What about mine?" I said, indicating to the figure in my arms.  
  
"Um.. your Mareep's young, too. All young Mareep's fleece is gray, but yours is a bit more so than any I've ever seen, even for her age. Her fleece'll probably get twice as fluffy and a bit more yellow, but not much so, and she'll still smell like burnt toast after a battle, no matter how much it repels electricity. As for mine..." she said, running her hand down the Dratini's midsection, "Mine's a bit big for his age. He might get a bit stubborn, so I'll keep him out of his Pokeball, as I suggest all of you do by the way, while we're on the sand, I don't want him scraping himself on some of the volcanic rock around here. I think it's a given he'll be a good fighter though."  
  
"0__0 Geez, I think this'll be a better group then I thought." said Nao, and he turned to Yenke, waiting.  
  
"Ok, ok." he looked at his Pokeball, gave us all a fleeting glance, and tossed onto the soft ground. A blazing horse appeared, nearly as blinding as Nao's Scarmory but six feet tall, and his amber eyes met Yenke's, almost as if he knew exactly who his owner was.  
  
"Oohh. What a beautiful Ponyta, Yenke."  
  
Yenke patted the horse's side gently, and murmured silent praise to his parents. We looked at Sae expectantly.   
  
"Oh, right. Well, it's a very healthy-looking Ponyta, maybe from Aeria or Kanto.. Ponyta are usually very shy, and don't talk much, so people don't really buy translators for them. They're pretty stubborn and a bit needy once they get to know you, but they're very loyal and selfless." Nao frowned.  
  
"Translators! Oh yeah!" I raised my eyebrows.  
  
"You have one?  
  
"I have six! One for each Pokemon on my team, you know? Hey, you guys can have some!"  
  
"0.0 Wow, you really are rich!" I said, and as Yenke gave me an *ex-nay on the upid-stay * look I remembered his earlier rich-snob comment. I grinned. Me, future Pokemon master taking translator loans from this amateur? Of course! Freebies don't come every day, you know!!   
  
"Wow, these are really high-quality, too. A newer version." Sae said thoughtfully. Fortunately I didn't embarrass myself by not knowing how to work a translator. I sat Indian-style with my silent Mareep in my lap as the other Pokemon's slight cries of protest filled the air, and pressed the translator- a small, slightly glowing ocean-blue jewel, to her throat. She gave a slight flinch as the translator fastened itself gently, but permanently to her throat. I'd read up about these one time, in Recentech Magazine, these things had alot to do with vibrations and wavelengths. Have you ever held a hand to your throat as you talked? It sorta vibrates, right? These things translate each wave of sound into its English equivalent, like an equation, so that it sounds just like the Pokemon's real voice. Most just translated it in a drab, lecturing voice although I had eyed one in a window shop that translated a Pokemon's voice into an Arnold Schwarzenegger-ish one. I held onto the smooth diamond-shaped jewel and said clearly,   
  
"Mareep." The translator glowed with recognition and in a different voice sounded back:   
  
"Mareep, the unevolved electric sheep Pokemon."  
  
"Yes." I said loudly. The object glowed brighter.  
  
"Translate for Mareep, Flaffy and Ampharos languages?"  
  
"Yes." it glowed brighter once again.  
  
"Scanning vocal coordination systems..." I had to shield my eyes from the bright blue jewel.  
  
"Process for Mareep/Flaffy/Ampharos speech and translation complete." The translator reverted back to its dark, slightly glowing self again. The process was permanent. My Mareep wrinkled her nose, but as if to spite me, kept her mouth shut.  
  
"Oy! Stop starin', ya mangy maggot!" Nao's Scarmory rasped as he flung a claw out at him.  
  
"Wagh! Watch it!!... anyway.. um.. I'm Nao, your new trainer.. Nao Palbot. Nice to meet you.. and this is Yenke, Umi, Jas and Sae." he said pointing at each of us. "...Do you have a name?"  
  
The giant bird considered this for a moment. "Bloody 'ell, don' most wilds? Well, oi gess its be'er 'n' havin' sum mangy 'uman namin' me 'Bob' or 'Marge' or sumpin' ridiculous like 'at." He gave a loud, obnoxious squawk that sounded like "BEEYAH!"  
  
"... bless you."  
  
"-_- 'at's ma name, ya numnut! 'BEEYAH!'" Nao flushed bewilderedly, and I heard my Mareep laugh.  
  
"You can name me, I suppose." she said stuffily after a few seconds. I tore my gaze from Nao's pitiful attempts to make a 'BEEYAH!' sound to name my Mareep.  
  
"Thanks! Okay, let's see.." I looked back up and saw that Nao had returned 'Beeyah' for the time being. He was still very flustered, to Yenke's amusement.   
  
"Well, your turn Jas." Jas cringed.  
  
"C'mon," encouraged Sae, "We won't laugh or anything. Even a Magikarp becomes strong eventually!"   
  
"Okay, okay..." she looked around to make sure nobody but us was watching, and tossed the Pokeball.  
  
"oh........" she looked sadly as the flash ended with a tiny bug Pokemon.  
  
"A weedle............"  
  
I had to squeeze my unnamed Mareep to keep from laughing. Not at poor Jas, mind you, but at the situation. Why did they even HAVE Weedle as a selection??  
  
"Well.." said Sae, breaking the silence, "Weedle's definitely better than Caterpie.." we all looked sadly on at the small creature. Jas sat down and, with Nao's help, fixed the translator on her new Pokemon.  
  
"Well, I guess everyone has to start somewhere." The Weedle looked curiously up at her, and me back at my Mareep.   
  
"I'll name you Marcel." I whispered to her.  
  
"I'll name mine Seven." smiled Sae.  
  
"._. Beeyah's fine with me."  
  
"Mine's Feral." Yenke said affectionately.  
  
Jas looked sadly again at her Weedle. "Your new name's Rudolph." She said, putting a finger on the top of its red, bulbous nose.  
  
We all admired our new companions and realized it was getting dark. It was time to head back to the hut.   
  
"Looks like everyone's finished group-picking." said Yenke matter-of-factly. He was quite right. The remaining students had gotten into two groups, chattering excitedly. They all turned to see us coming. Sae smiled.  
  
"Sure looks like we're the most unique of the groups. I mean, look: a Growlithe, an Eevee, a Vulpix.. and look, there's a Pikachu." One person from each team came towards us, one was a tall brunette girl and the other was a pale redhead boy.  
  
"There you are!" said the brunette girl, "I'm Stephanie, and this is Will." the boy nodded. "We were just about to have a battle, group against group. You wanna join?" Sae's eyes almost blazed.  
  
"YES!! Yes, we do!!"  
  
"Great! Which team do you want to fight? Who's your leader?"  
  
We exchanged glances. "Who's been to Tando before?", Nao whispered.  
  
We all raised our hand, except poor Jas.  
  
"Well, let's make this as simple as we can. Umi comes first alphabetically, so let's let her be leader for now."  
  
This Nao makes very much sense. We all agreed.   
  
"But which team are we going to fight?" asked Yenke.  
  
"Do you need to ask?" Muttered Jas, and we unanimously pointed to the group WITHOUT the huge, menacing Onix.  
  
"Ok! Let's start!" said Stephanie, and Will ran back to his group.  
  
"Wait- now?"  
  
"Well, yeah! I said we were just about to start. We're going to fight over there." she pointed to a clear area on the other side of the small village, which was emptying out quickly along with the last remaining rays of light, which stood out peeking out from among the numerous trees. It was leaving quickly, though, and in a few minutes the only source of light would be Yenke's illuminating Ponyta. Sorta feels like camping, I thought to myself. The sky, even now, was brimming with countless flecks of light, and the gigantic moon was starting to rise on the foliage-covered horizon. When we could clearly see the fighting area, a Growlithe was digging a big circle in the middle of the clearing, with Will supervising. The sounds of crickets filled the crisp, cool air.  
  
"I guess I'm supposed to go first, huh?" I asked sadly.  
  
"Not really. I'll go first if you want me to." Offered Yenke.   
  
"Yes!" At my reply, Sae looked disappointed, putting her at-the-ready Pokeball away for the time being.   
  
"Ok!" Yenke put on a cool smile and walked in front of the newly completed trench of a ring. A girl with long blonde hair stepped on the other side of the circle, and they both sent their Pokemon out, Marcel and a Jolteon.  
  
"Looks like SOMEBODY anticipated getting an Eevee." Yenke grumbled.  
  
"Okay, g-!" somebody started to shout from the third team.  
  
"Now hold on a minute!" Mr. Tasuki appeared suddenly, his clothes ruffled. "Let's not get too competitive! This could affect your performance in the REAL competition! I forbid it!"  
  
Yenke's competitor scowled. "Oh for Pete's sake! You're our BATTLE ED. teacher!!"  
  
"You may battle within your groups, but not against other. We will not provide potions or other remedies for the injuries your Pokemon may sustain. Is that understood?" Most the students looked relieved.  
  
"Good. And stay away from the village, please. Until the morning, anyways. I trust you have sleeping bags, or tents?" We nodded. "Good. I suggest you decide on your 'game plan', remember, the competition starts TOMORROW. Good night, then." He left towards the wall-less hut.   
  
"'till the competition, then." muttered Yenke, and we headed back to our corner. I felt pretty much glad we didn't have to fight, but I was the only one, instead of Jas, who felt that way.  
  
"Aw, really! What could've gone wrong?" Sae complained.  
  
"Well, what about the fainted Pokemon? Remember, they're not giving out revives or potions, so why should we waste ours? Besides, people are trying to sleep." I said, indicating to the village.  
  
"Oh, its only for one night. Man... well, anyone wanna battle me?"  
  
"I do!" Nao jumped up, and pulled his Pokeball out. So me, Yenke and Jas pulled up in a circle to decide on our quote: 'game plan'.  
  
"Well, since the guy we gotta find could be anywhere, we should probably split up to find him." I said, proud of my ingenuity, but Yenke shook his head.  
  
"But isn't it supposed to take all of us to beat the guy?"  
  
"Well, when we find him we'll call the other half of the group!" Jas said, and I gave her a silent 'thank you!'.   
  
"What half?" Yenke continued, though, "there's five of us. One 'half' has three people, the other two. Who goes with who?" I frowned. That was a toughie.   
  
"But, I have a suggestion." Boy, this Yenke's full of ideas. "Nao's a bit dim when it comes to sense, but he's a pretty strong fighter. I think he should go with Sae, but I don't know about the rest of us." Jas smiled.  
  
"You look pretty strong, too, why don't we make up the three-group? I'm sure Sae and Nao can take care of themselves." We looked over at the two and found that the fight hadn't started yet, due to a little scuffle between Beeyah and Nao.  
  
"or SAE, at least."  
  
"I don't know.. I mean, it seems kind of unfair to group them without knowing if they can even stand each other. Let's ask them about the groupings and see what they come up with. I don't know, I might want to the two-person group." Boy would I. The stress of being with two other know-it-all girls would give me a migraine.   
  
"You're right."  
  
Nao was now engaging in some sort of strange arm-wrestling game with Beeyah.  
  
"Well, now what?"  
  
"Well, what else? We've gotta spend some time with our Pokemon! They're the foundation of this whole contest, obviously!"  
  
"Yeah!" I called Marcel out of her Pokeball, and Jas and Yenke did the same. And, once again, I saw Jas's eyes fade as they met Rudolph. But hey, it's not my problem.  
  
"So! Marcel! Where're you from?"   
  
She smiled. "The land of the third warning, or what you call the mountain region."  
  
"Heh, sheep, mountain.... *cough* so... how was your.... childhood?"  
  
"Fine, until humans came and took me away. I lived in a nice little valley between Mt. Bone and Mt. Christo, with my parents and sister. I will never forget the night your kind took me away." I paused, stunned, and then looked around anxiously, seeing if anyone else's Pokemon was having a nostalgia attack, but they all seemed okay except, of course, Beeyah. But she didn't stop there, oh no.  
  
"It was a paradise! A little hovel with trees and flowers! Our only enemies were Spinarak, and even then we were friends with some of them! I was so happy we were in a place of solitude, without your kind's 'do this!! Do that!!' attitude, like we were slaves just created to boost your ego! You make me sick!" By then, I was blushing furiously, trying to make simple excuses for 'my kind''s sins, but she continued, "And you don't even care!! You sit all nice and safe all day among your kind until you're corrupted and get a slave of your own and force it to fight for you! It's so pointless! One day we will have our stand! You will pay!" Oh God, I knew something like this would happen. Of course, when have I ever had good luck? No, I couldn't get a nice, sweet Pokemon that loved everybody... and then another brilliant idea came to me.  
  
"Um, well, when we get to Chro- I mean, the mountain region, we can go visit your kind! It'll be fun!" Marcel grinned evilly.  
  
"Yeah, so then I can sic the other Mareep and Flaffy on you and get back to my family!!" By then I was almost on the brink of strangling the little fluff.   
  
"You know what?? We're stuck together, so why not just try an' make the best of it!! I'm calling my dad's lawyer not so just sit tight and try to look cute!!" I pulled out my Charmander-style (doubles as a ligher!) vid-phone and punched in his number, almost snapping the little bugger in half.  
  
"*beeep.....beeep.....bee-* Umi?" A good-looking blond guy appeared, wearing his black sunglasses as usual, grinned as he saw me. "Umi! Great to see you!"  
  
"Yeah, you too, Chris."  
  
"Oh, did you get your Pokemon?" I turned the screen to Marcel.  
  
"Yeah. Her name's Marcel. She's great, thanks Chris." Marcel made a weird face.  
  
"That's great! You're welcome, Umi. When're you starting your journey?"  
  
"Tomorrow." I turned the screen next to each member of my team, introducing them. "That's Jas, by the tree.. with her Pokemon Rudolph, the Weedle.. there's Jas, waiting for poor Nao to find his shoe with her Dratini, Seven.. Nao, with his Scarmory Beeyah.. and there's Yenke, a bit past Jas there, with his Ponyta Feral."  
  
"Ah, I remember my journey.. only got one Pokemon, though, as you know.." His Seel barked from somewhere in the background. "That's so great! I know you'll go places! Good luck! Come visit when you get a chance! You know the estate's yours, now." I grinned.  
  
"yeah, I know. I will, once this competition's over and we can get started on our real journey. Well, I'd better go, don't want to waste the batteries out here in the middle of nowhere."  
  
"Yeah, ok. Bye then, and be careful!"  
  
"Bye!" He's a good guy, but a bit high-strung. I turned back to Marcel. "Just try to relax. Be cool. Maybe even a little more optimistic." I said, letting out the remainders of my anger. Maybe I was mostly angry because she had a point, and I felt guitly. ... Naw! Marcel scowled, and turned her back. So I decided to join Jas and Yenke, who were building a fire, while Marcel cooled off.  
  
"Hey." said Yenke.  
  
"How did it go?" asked Jas, looking behind me at Marcel.  
  
"Well, not that great. She hates me because she's away from her family and he thinks we're slave drivers and stuff. Jas's Weedle crawled next to the beginning fire.   
  
"My family would be proud of me!" He said in a tiny voice. You couldn't help but smile.   
  
"Yeah, I guess so. I do kinda feel bad, though." Yenke ducked a flying shoe, and yelled at Nao to keep it down. Sae was lying in the bits of grass and sand, staring out at the billions of stars now visible. The sun had completely gone down. Yeah, I'd make friends with Marcel. Just a matter of how and when. Finally, the fire really got going, with Feral's help, and to our dismay Nao finally gave up with Beeyah and recalled him.   
  
"I am a failure. A complete, utter failure. It's very contagious you know, so stand back!!"  
  
Yenke grinned. "I get dibs on the group NOT with him. Now Sae, Nao, get over here." We exchanged glances as the two wearily made their way.  
  
"We have a proposition," continued Yenke, "We think that we should split up into two groups to find the guy. One made up of two people, the other three. When one of our groups finds him, they'll drop the other group a line and we'll all face him together. What do you think the groups should be?"  
  
Nao grinned and said, "I wanna be with the girls."  
  
"which ones?" inquired Jas, and Nao looked downcast.  
  
"Oh, that's right, I can only have two.. well, maybe poor Yenke here can find him all by his lonesome, that'll take care of ONE problem."   
  
Yenke scowled. "Yeah, it would. SERIOUSLY, Nao!"  
  
"I really don't know!"  
  
"How about you and Sae!?" Jas butted in.  
  
"Okay!"  
  
"And Yenke!"  
  
"Fine!"  
  
Jas smiled smugly at me. "See? Nao wanted a girl in his team, he got one. AND we got rid of the tempermental boys." she turned to Sae. "Is that okay with you, Sae?"  
  
"Might get a headache, but I'll be all right. If we switch every time we find the competitor guys on each island."  
  
"Oh, that hurts, Sae baby." Nao said woefully, and she scowled. Hope I'm never in THAT group.  
  
"What time is it?"  
  
"About ten, I think."  
  
"Not too late.. but I think I'll get to sleep anyways. Big day tomorrow." mumbled Sae sleepily. Come to think of it, I was tired too. So me and Jas lay with our heads towards the roaring fire, using our backpacks as pillows, and talked for a bit while we tried to get some sleep.  
  
"What's your favorite Pokemon?" she asked sleepily.  
  
"Daydrom (*one of MY created Pokemon.*). I'm definitely gonna catch one here."  
  
"Yeah, they're only here in Tando, right? Boy though, I bet they're hard to catch.. especially with an electric-type like yours. My favorite's Mistik. (*ALSO mine*) It's so cute! Too bad about it's evolution, though."  
  
"They're pretty strong.. what's your favorite Legend?"  
  
"Definitely Delquatro.. There's a strong rumor she's in Tando, too."  
  
"Isn't she one of the six Legendary birds? They Spanishy ones?"  
  
"heh, yeah. ArticUNO, ZapDOS, MolTRES, DelQUATRO, DezCINCO, DemiSES. You know, the grass-type one."  
  
"I remember now.. Mm, mine's Nautilus."  
  
"Ooh, you like mystery then."  
  
"I can just imagine him floating quietly in some ocean, just waiting for something important to happen. I wonder why we can't find a Pokemon that's so BIG, though. When I was little, he was all I dreamt about. Nautilus. Still do, sometimes." I looked over, and saw that Jas was fast asleep. I closed my eyes and was asleep in an instant. You won't have to guess twice about what I dreamt.  
  
~*~*~*~*~ 


	2. A Step Forward

Foolish Games  
  
Part 1: The Mind and the Eye  
  
Hello one and all! I wrote chapters 1&2 during summer vacation, actually (FOREVER ago) but that was in my notebook (yes, I usually write by hand) so it takes me a bit since I'm actually writing it twice. Once I get my old laptop up and running, however, I hope to update twice as fast. Anyways, my characters so far (Umi, Jas, Sae, Nao, Yenke, etc.) are, as I said, MINE. No taking without permission! And also, there're a few of my own created Pokemon in this chapter, but as not to spoil the surprise, I'll name them later, and once again, they are MINE. So is Tando, Gaeto, Chrodo, Armado, Agedo and Aeria, the regions. Uh, yeah, I think that's about it. :) This is meant to be a long-running series, hence the Part 1. Also, there's sorta two plots running at once- on with the Legends, on with Umi Aisaki etc. The competition is just the setting, the real plot doesn't start after a few chapters, but that doesn't mean those chapters aren't good for the reading. Anyways, on with the show! Please R&R!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon, but as soon as Satoshi... uh, never mind.  
  
Chapter 2: A Step Forward  
  
The sun's annoying glare jerked me out of my seemingly endless underwater dream. I swore under my breath, the sun was almost DIRECTLY over me. Almost noon.   
  
I heaved myself off the ground and groggily glanced around, only to be puzzled by the fact that everyone else was asleep except the bustling villagers. Then I remembered. Of course, the time difference! It was probably around seven back in Gaeto. Then, something else came to me. I hadn't put Marcel back in her Pokeball.   
  
I looked around frantically, sure she had run away, but then saw here lying on Beeyah's crimson-crested wing, which was odd, because you'd think sleeping on a metal wing would be uncomfortable, not to mention for Beeyah, who was weak against the Mareep. Why didn't she leave, though, if she hated me so much? On the other side of the hut, the village was wide awake and some children were poking Nao with a tree branch.   
  
However, Mr. Tasuki was the first to get up, and a morning afro and purple PJs are not a pretty sight in the morning. I lied back down and tried to get a little more shut-eye, awaiting the beginning of the competition.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
He sat alone on the crystalline grounds, surrounded by walls of stalactites and stalagmites, like a tremendous natural prison. It looked like ice, but he knew better. It was sand, pressurized and scarred by famous past battles until it took the ice-like form it had today. But he remembered, the billions of years ago, he remembered when it was first 'made', if that's what you could say happened. It felt like an oven, but id didn't bother him anymore. Oven, hah, someone oughta go visit Loa's place, or even the fire bird Shindell's. No, he was not one to whine, though some said he did. The moment anyone even thinks to question The Mind and the Eye, they are accused of treasonry and speaking against their superiors, and, of course, there was always the 'they-were-created-stronger-than-us-so-they-were-meant-to-rule-us' speech. He was sick and tired of those two bastards trying taking it upon themselves to decide what was right and wrong, and they even had the nerve to try to control us! Disgusting, foul creatures..  
  
Suddenly, he felt a surge of power run through him, and instantly knew what was happening.  
  
"Heh!... rgh... so once again, I am to be controlled to do your bidding... what now? Has Mistress 'Eye' seen something, oh great Mind?" Raeborn called seemingly to no one, through clenched teeth. A voice spoke from inside of his head, a strong and powerful voice.  
  
'I am so sick of your incessant whining. How I would love to kill you and rip the Seventh Gem right out of you with my bare hands... it would make things so easy... but I hold strong, and only for your sister.. it's a pity she has such a horrid family.. oh, and let's not forget my dear son, a.k.a., your SAVIOR. You owe him a great many thanks.'  
  
"Oh Mewtwo, you have such a colorful imagination... The moment I get the chance, I'm setting Doomsday and Apocalypse after you.. Mistress 'Eye' has many things to do, to oversee.. she can't keep watch on me ALL the time.."  
  
'Be careful, someday someone might cut that evil tongue of yours out.. Well, I come here only to give you a surprise, and to show you another little talent I've learned.. I hope you enjoy it. Goodbye, Raeborn.'  
  
"Wait!! Why is it you're not killing me? You know I would just be reborn again, just a matter of time.. why are you holding ba-!!" a huge surge of light and pain in which he never could have imagined surged through him, it felt as if his mind had shattered.  
  
'You just wait..' Raeborn could not understand the words, though they spoke so clearly to him, through the midst of his pain.  
  
'You'll find out. And then you will wish you were never......  
  
Raeborn'  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
It was far from quiet, the sounds of the nearby wildlife were almost deafening. How could anybody sleep through it?? I could hardly keep myself from shaking everybody until they fell apart, the anticipation for the contest was so strong.  
  
The sand was glistening and the trees wavering softly again, like it had the day before. Partly the reason Tando has almost no weather is because there are no Dananta around. Dananta are the weather Pokemon, they not only predict it, they create alot of it. Half of the storms, hail storms, lightning storms, twisters and hurricanes are a Dananta's doing. You'd think they were legendary because of that extraordinary power, but Danantas are actually quite popular. Almost everyone wanted one, also for their neo-style looks, and that they're newly discovered. The reason? They're almost constantly surrounded by some sort of natural force at its extreme. Some said that it was surrounded by a particular element because of its mood, others because of its own preference. God, I wish I had one. But still, I'd give up a million Dananta just to have One Daydrom. I don't know what it is about them, they're so elegant and useful. My dream team would have to include a Daydrom and Dananta. And, I guess, Ampharos, I though, glancing at Marcel. This competition isn't really for us to get to be better trainers or anything, it's just for publicity. Frankly, I just want to get started on my journey. Probably won't even make it to the end of the competition, with this weird group. Ah, finally, someone's up!  
  
Nao rolled on his other side bedraggledly, rubbing where the children had poked him, and managed to get himself into a sitting position. "Ugh, what time is it?"  
  
"I dunno.. about 8, 8:30..."  
  
"Doesn't look like it. You just wake up, too?" He questioned, looking at my messed-up hair, and I leapt for my brush.  
  
"Yeah, yeah. Wanna wake the others up?"  
  
"Anything for you, my sweet." I threw my brush at him.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Okay, okay, settle down!" cried Mr. Tasuki, waving his hand as if he were trying to teach a Growlithe to sit. We sat in the back, too depressed about our journey's interruption to be too excited.  
  
"Today we will set you off on your way. Also, spokesmen from our school have just phoned us some new rules that have been made. *ahem*. Ok, the first new rule is that a group cannot ask for assistance in catching any Pokemon, beating any person in a battle, or anything else that would count as assistance for 'Race for the Legends'." Boy, these people really haven't planned things out very well, have they?   
  
"And in the battles with the people stationed around the islands, which we have named Patrions, you may only use a total of six Pokemon in the battle, example: since you're in groups of five then, say, four people use one Pokemon each and the fifth person gets to use two of his/her Pokemon, a total of six Pokemon. Or, two people could choose to battle, three Pokemon each. There are infinite possibilities. This does not count, however, when fighting a wild Pokemon or your Legend. Those are the added rules. Contact me at (312) 882-1522 if you wish to hear the rules again. Any questions in the, uh, three minutes before the competition officially starts? A girl in the front row raised her hand as if she had been waiting for hour.  
  
"Mr. Tasuki, what if nobody catches their Legend?"  
  
"There is no time limit on this contest. We're estimating it to last about eight months."  
  
"What if you get killed by your Legend?" asked a boy to my right.  
  
"-_- our team has come up with an elite band of people, and the last four Patrions you will fight are stronger than the Legends. The last two own Legends themselves, though not the originals. Trust me. You will be FINE."  
  
"What if you want to quit?"  
  
"Well, you all agreed to do this, so you can't technically quit, but we can't do anything to stop you from refusing to complete the contest. We probably wouldn't even know if you did. I encourage you not to, the school's reputation is on your shoulders, but if you really want to you can. Any more questions?"  
  
Silence  
  
"Ok! I suppose I'll see you all in about eight months, then! I'm sure you'll all do great, and I'll be sure to tell my future students all about you! It's time to start!"  
  
"Wait- we're starting here? In this village?" I asked, bewildered.  
  
"Well, I strongly recommend you leave this village to complete the contest-" a few chuckles- "But yes, technically you've been competing for-" He looked again at his non-existent watch- "Uh, well, you've been competing. Well, I have to get back to the school, sorry kids. Goodbye, chao, adios, and so on! Good luck, too!" He released a large Xatu and they flew up above the trees and finally, out of sight. We all stood a bit dumbfounded for a few seconds, and suddenly everyone acted insane, knocking over chairs, trying to be the first to leave the village, and we were left standing in the midst of the upturned chairs. Luckily, some people had dropped loose change in the rush.   
  
"Uh, so!" Said Sae cheerfully, trying to ignore my scuttling on the ground, picking up nickels. "We'd better get going!"  
  
"Should we split up now?" asked Jas.  
  
"What's the rush?" said Nao.  
  
"I think we just saw the rush." Jas scowled.  
  
"Yeah, I guess we should." Yenke sighed  
  
We all shook hands, said our condolences to poor Sae, and headed in opposite directions. Just me and Jas now.   
  
"You know, I was thinking..." I said.  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"I don't think either of us wants to fight Doomsday or Apocalypse, right?"  
  
"Right.."  
  
"And we both want to start our journey, right?"  
  
"I'm not quitting the contest."  
  
"No, no!" I said, waving my arms. I am NOT a coward. "I was just saying, while we're looking for the Patrions on this Island, we could also fight the Gym Leaders as we go along! And, you know, take the trainers road while we're at it! It'd be fun! And with all the experience, we'll get really strong for the competition!"  
  
"Hey, yeah! That's perfect! But what if we find the two guys before we get all the badges in Tando?"  
  
"We just leave them to collect later, and start getting the badges in the next region!"  
  
"That's a wonderful idea!"  
  
"And there's no rules against it! What city are we headed for, anyways?" To my surprise, she pulled out an expensive looking Pokedex, one just like mine except mine's white, hers is purple. How does someone 'poor' get such a good Pokedex? She saw my look.  
  
"The school helped us buy this, since I was chosen for the contest.   
  
"Ah.."  
  
"Okay, we're headed for... the ocean..."  
  
"Oh. What say we go North then-"  
  
"Oh, wait, there's a city on the beach. Ascend City." she pushed a button, and the Pokedex chirped:  
  
"Ascend City... South Tando... only about fifty years ago this area was completely submerged in the ocean, but due to a violent volcanic eruption, the land burst out of the sea, hence it's name. Ascend City is in the middle of a cliff, the sea and the Chirrup Jungle... A Gym City... Ascend City's Gym specialty: ground. Current leader: Stefan Diganic. Reward: The Dune Badge."  
  
We both paled.  
  
"G-ground??" Jas said in a shaky voice, "GROUND?? Great, BOTH our Pokemon are bad against ground!" She halfheartedly kicked a sand dune.   
  
"Don't worry, don't worry! We'll catch a Pokemon that's strong against ground!" To my relief, she sighed and released Rudolph. Suppose I'd better release Marcel.   
  
"Oh of course!" Jas suddenly cried, pausing Marcel from her scorning. "How obvious! Hah, we're right next to the ocean AND the jungle! Water and grass! They're both good against ground!"  
  
"Oh yeah!! This'll be a cinch!  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Ascend City is a big city on a little cliff. There's only a small strip of land to get into it without going through the jungle or swimming over, but we still got our feet wet. We wanted to wait 'till we went into the jungle, there's supposed to be strong Pokemon in it and, after all, we'd have to go in it anyways to get to the next city. The city itself is bustling and sunny, the blocky white houses seemed cheery. Most of the crowds in the street were skateboarders, but there were a few pedestrians, bikers and rollerbladers. Everything seemed well. Except, of course, for two insane girls wading knee-deep in the ocean, trying Poliwag and Goldeen calls to lure some water Pokemon out, ANY Pokemon instead of the plentiful Magikarp. Yes, me and Jas getting payback from our stupid 'It'll be a cinch!' comment.   
  
"Maybe we'd better go try the jungle..." I suggested as I suffered another water shock from Marcel, angry and sopping wet.   
  
"No way! The Pokemon are too strong in there! Besides, Rudolph's gone up a level already from the Magikarp. Only one more 'till he evolves!"  
  
"-_-; I don't think that's something to be cheering about, Jas...." at this, she leaped two feet out of the water with a loud yelp.  
  
"0_0 are you okay?" She thrashed her foot around, spraying everyone with water and other unpleasant things in the water, and from her ankle dangled a large Krabby.   
  
"No way!! You caught something!"  
  
"Caught, my arse!!!! Or better yet, FOOT!!!!! Rudolph, help!!"  
  
The little bug flung itself at the Krabby's hard shell, doing minimal damage. Marcel watched interestedly, occasionally throwing me a dirty glance. She hadn't said anything since the night before. Usually, Mareep were thought of as TOO trusting, but this one seemed the complete opposite.   
  
"Ow!" cried Jas as the Krabby flew over us to shore. We exchanged glances, and raced back to where the Krabby landed. I pulled out my Pokedex and pointed it at the crimson Crab.   
  
"Krabby... water-type... the river crab... these Pokemon are extremely aggressive, especially towards their own kind. Tando Krabby are much bigger and more plentiful, and can also be clearly identified by their bright red color, versus the orange of foreign Krabby. They only live in the shallow water areas, and love to dig. Trainer temperament: very stubborn at first, but they grow to be protective and loving. They have no trouble in battle, as they are very violent and competitive. Diet: raw Magikarp, Goldeen and Seaking meat, and kelp. Use apples as treats." Jas registered the Krabby as well, and got to her first.   
  
"Rudolph, poison sting!"  
  
"Marcel, thundershock!" Luckily, she was excited enough by the battle to obey. Or maybe NOT luckily... the result was a very shocked Weedle and an almost fainted and poisoned Krabby. I put my hand on my Pokeball, then faltered. Jas needs a Pokemon to back up Rudolph. That little Weedle can't win a battle itself. Fine, but this is the ONLY favor I'm doing her. She's on her own after this. Jas gave me an extremely grateful look, and threw a Pokeball. It landed right on, and stopped a few inches over it to suck the Krabby's energy up. A few shakes and...... CAUGHT!  
  
"YAHAAA!!" Jas screamed, and held up her Pokeball. Oh yeah, I never registered Marcel. The Pokedex spoke calmly in the midst of Jas's ecstatic screaming.   
  
"Marcel... Mareep... electric-type... the wool Pokemon... these Pokemon are mostly found in the mountains or plains. Usually, Mareep fleece is thought of as yellow, but colors range from yellow to sky-blue to gray, making a very good raw material for clothing. They are very friendly with other Pokemon, but also one of the strongest electric-types once fully evolved... Trainer temperament: They range from blissful to optimistic to rebellious, and are all very playful. Mareep aren't good at hand-to-hand combat, so projectile and electric attacks are best until further evolutions... Mareep eat Bluegrass, dandelions, fruit (especially peaches), and enjoy herbal teas." Marcel scowled and cried:  
  
"They are SO stereotypical! A little herbal tea wouldn't hurt, though... and some peaches...." Her eyes bulged. "Do you have any peaches??"  
  
I rolled my eyes and waited for Jas to finish with her whooping.   
  
"Ah, I feel so much better! About Rudolph and my new Krabby! In fact.... poor Rudolph, I think I'll change his name." Rudolph let out a little sigh of relief, and we started walking away from the beach.  
  
"Hmmm... lessee.... wild... that's it! Wild! Your new names' Wild!" He waggled his tail gleefully and barked "Wee!" I listened silently to her rambling, as not to spoil her good mood.   
  
"And my Krabby... Her name'll be... let's see, ocean.. blue... azul... azul sounds like a rock, right? You know, Ruby, Opal.... ooh, Opal's a nice name.. gotta keep that it mi- oh, Ruby! That's great! You know, since she's red instead of orange? Perfect! Gotta heal her before we let her out, though... oh, I can't wait! Then I had another good idea.  
  
"Jas, you go to the center, we'll meet up there, okay? I gotta do something."  
  
"Oh, sure!" we were in the city by then, and we temporarily parted ways, Marcel still silent behind me. "Okay, market, market... aha!" It was a little corner-street market, nice, but covered in loiterers, mostly my age, and even a few foreign-looking trainers. I pushed my way in, though, and grabbed about fifteen big, juicy-  
  
"PEACHES!!" Marcel cried manically, hopping up on her back legs. I grabbed a few other things, too: some energizing herbal tea, a big canteen, a little necklace with a big beautiful glossy black-and-gold pendant. No, it isn't REALLY bribery. I kind of enjoy buying things for Marcel, I thought as I grabbed a box of electric type 'Watt Taste!' Pokemon Chow. I can spend all I want, anyway, 'cos of my dad's will......  
  
I forced my way outside after paying, and sat on a short wall with all the other teens.   
  
"Ummmmm, peach!" Marcel cooed as she munched her way through one. She looked beautiful with the necklace on. I finally sighed in relief, deciding that after a while she'd get to like me.   
  
"Oh, the Center." I picked up my Mareep, when suddenly a battle started in front of me.   
  
"Go, Ferver!"  
  
"Go, Strudel!"  
  
A big Spinarak and an Ekans blocked my way, looking menacingly at each other, and the small crowd formed a circle around them and their trainers, a 13-year-old-ish boy and girl. A rush of adrenaline went through me.   
  
"Anyone want to fight me one-on-one?" I guess everyone else was excited by the battle, because cries of 'ME' exploded from around me. Then, before I knew it, the entire street was being filled with amateur Pokemon, and a tall dark blue haired boy with very pale green eyes appeared.  
  
"It's a pleasure, Umi Aisaki. My name's Daven." I nodded, a little irritated by the fact that he knew who I was. "Go, Stir!" he cried, and a beautiful little Mistik appeared before me. My eyes bulged.  
  
"Wh-where did you get that??"  
  
"They sometimes fly over from Aeria, near the eastern shores." He said, shrugging. "Cute little buggers, aren't they?" The Mistik cackled happily, and its glossy coat gleamed somewhere between midnight blue and cream on the color scale. He had big deer-like ears and a long tail that resembled a cat's, with a black tip, which also decorated the end of its ears, eyes paws and wings, which were like a butterfree's, only crescent-moon shaped, and such a pale yellowish color that they were transparent. It also had a strange marking on its forehead that resembled a character from the Legend Language, but it's most recognizable feature was the black diamond on it's chest. I whipped out my Pokedex as Marcel queerly got into place, swallowing what I sincerely hoped wasn't a peach pit.  
  
"Stir... Mistik... the Moon-cycle Pokemon... Flying/Light.... Mistik are very friendly and mischievous by nature, and often wander away from the only place they are born, Aeria. Their wing's shape changes with the moon, example: if would be a full moon that night, a Mistik's wings would be perfect circles. During new moons, its wings will disappear completely, and it won't be able to fly. Trainer: Davin Memora." Huh, it doesn't tell nearly as much when it's another person's Pokemon... Jas is going to love this! I looked around to see if anyone else had noticed the rare Pokemon, but then I realized a lot of the trainers weren't just average. I spotted a Tanefi, Tando's beginning fire-type, who looked like a mix between a Vulpix and an Eevee. It had a sweet face, with big spiky ears and a little fire-like mohawk between them, it's fluffy body was a delicate crimson with a thick black line running down its belly, and a big poofy tail. It's paws, however, were blazing and covered n flames. Irritated by the offending Geodude, a spike of fur blazed and rose, like an angry cat, except for the blaze.   
  
Also, there was the Tando beginner that I would kill to get, the grass-type Silower. It was much more regal-looking that Tanefi, it was on its hind legs with it's paws in a fighting-position, and it's huge flat tail, about the same size as the rest of his body, was flapping in excitement. It had a seed-shaped face with a big, thorn-shaped spike on the back of its skull, and below that two large, long red petals swept down the length of its body, curling outwards at the end, away from its back, caressing its slender form. It's tail swept out in front of it as a good barrier, it was thick and ended in three long claw-like points. It had no fur, rather it's skin was smooth and glossy, like a Seviper's.   
  
I looked for Pendoma, the water-type final starter of Tando, but it was nowhere to be seen.   
  
I swallowed in pure nervousness, ready for my first trainer battle. Marcel was ready.   
  
"Stir, Night Shade!" a blast of pulsing dark energy crashed from Stir's slight figure and directed itself towards Marcel, knocking her on her back. Embarrassed, she quickly righted herself.   
  
"Stupid little animal!!" she cried.   
  
"Marcel, Thundershock!" I cried, and Stir was brought out of the air with ease. Flying-types are no match for MY electric-type! Before the Mistik could pick itself up, Marcel let another bolt of electricity through it, and then tacked Stir against the ground. He managed to scrape her across the face, leaving a large gash, before suffering her body-slam, and the Mistik was down for the count. Daven looked majorly pissed-off, and I'm only saying that because furious would have been an understatement.   
  
"I've fought NINE times before this, and I haven't lost a single time!! There's no WAY I'm admitting defeat to a stupid pansy like you!!" H reached angrily towards Marcel, but a static shock jerked him back. H then lashed out with his foot, knocking Marcel on her back once again. I felt a surge of fury, stomped up and hit him hard in the face. I was NOT one to slap when it came to hurting my friends.   
  
"How DARE YOU HURT MY MAREEP!!" I screamed, and went to punch him again, but his hand clasped around my wrist, his other one clutching his nose.   
  
"That's it. you've gone too far and messed with the wrong person." his calmness was scaring me. "You just wait. I have ways of getting payback from people." he threw me down by my wrist and disappeared. To my dismay, nobody had noticed our little 'scuffle' in the midst of all the Pokemon battles.   
  
"That bastard!!" I cried out and, clutching a fainted Marcel, ran to the Pokemon Center.   
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
I told a Nurse Jay (the 'do region's version of Nurse Joy, looks exactly like her but with dark purple hair. what happened, though I didn't need to, an injured Pokemon was an injured Pokemon and questions were rarely asked, and a warning was sent to the police about Davin Memora. Me and Jas met up in the waiting room, Ruby scuttling behind. I told her what happened, and she was...... very sympathetic.  
  
"You really hit him? Right on! I always wanted to hit a bad guy! AND you got to see a Mistik! What a day!"  
  
"-_- so what happened to Wild?" I said, trying to change the subject. Jas smiled sadly.   
  
"He's even less wild than before..." she gently tossed her Pokeball on the hard tile floor, and a small Kakuna appeared.  
  
"Oh....." well, at least it's a Pokedex opportunity.  
  
"Wild.... Kakuna.... male.... poison-type.... the cocoon Pokemon.... Kakuna are almost completely immobile, but ones that were trained to evolved still maintain their Weedle attacks, and learn harden when they evolve. Kakuna grow rapidly, and can tell they're about to evolve when they turn dark yellow and their cocoon begins to peel... Trainer Temperament: Kakuna do not talk, or move except in battle... Kakuna do not eat, but they absorb water through their shell two times a day." I laughed out loud when Jas brought out a wet sponge out of a Tupperware container to rub Wild with. But then I remembered Marcel's condition and started making some cold herbal tea to put in the microwave for later. I saw a few interesting (though injured) Pokemon go by, like a Larvitar an a Haunter (some poor Chanseys had to use a Squirtle to gently push it to the emergency room with its water, as the ghost-type kept falling through the stretchers). But the waiting really got to me.   
  
"Here, read this." Jas said, handing me the Ascend City's newspaper, the 'Beach Daily'. Then I saw something that caught my interest.  
  
'Yesterday', the newspaper read, 'far into sea, the Tando-Azul Island Ferry had quite an experience, or so they say. Reports of a "HUGE daggone shell!!!!" came from all over the ship, even from respected townspeople such as the Mayor's wife. The Ferry turned around immediately after the sightings and arrived at about midnight last night. From the reports we have discerned the object as a smooth long glossy shell-like creature, that in some places turned pink and blue, but is mostly cream and covered in algae, with a sort of twist on the top. There has been no tangible evidence of the creature's existence, only a photograph of the 'shell' (shown above), and although it is hard to discern it's color, it is thought by most to be a sighting of the Legendary creature Nautilus.' I immediately did a double-take on the photographs and recognized the shape at once. It WAS Nautilus. The article continued. 'but whether it is a fake or not is up to you. Turn to page C3 for an exclusive interview with one of the witnesses.' I didn't bother to look at the interview, but just stared at the picture. It was just as I had dreamed, though the picture was a bit fuzzy.   
  
Suddenly, a tap on my shoulder jerked me out of my thoughts.   
  
"What??" I asked irritably, and was immediately sorry when I saw that it was a healthy-looking, scarless Marcel.   
  
"Marcel! You're okay!!" Me and Jas said, jumping up.   
  
"Of course I'm okay." she said stuffily with a grin. I lifted her up in relief, forgetting the Nautilus sighting.   
  
"I'm so glad!" I cried, and for once she seemed genuinely glad to see me. Then she scowled.   
  
"Are most humans like that piece of filth?"  
  
"Oh, I'm so sorry about that... he got away... don't worry, though, we'll find him! Anyway, let's go.. oh, I've made you some tea!" I said brightly, holding out the cup. "It's cold, though." she touched the cup with a paw and gave it a small electric jolt.   
  
"Now it's not!" She said happily, and I let her drink it.  
  
"This is so great!" Jas said excitedly, "Now you have a rival!"  
  
we stared. "Why's that great? Sucks to me."  
  
"Oh, you know, all the famous champions had rivals! Red and Blue, Gold and Silver, Ruby and Sapphire, Lance and Agatha, Ash and Gary, Purple and Pink-"  
  
"Wait- Agatha? Agatha was a champion?"  
  
"The shortest-lived champion ever. You see, long story short, right before Lance got to the end of Victory Road, she tricked him into going the wrong way, and while he was lost, Agatha beat the Elite 4 and stuff- it was called the Elite 4 back then- and when Lance found out he came in and made a big show of beating her."  
  
"Wow, you're good... wait- I've heard of the others but.... PURPLE AND PINK??"  
  
"You've never heard of them?? Well, I guess it's been a while.. Purple's, like, 100 now, he lives in Viridian City in Kanto now with his granddaughter. He goes wild on coffee every once in a while and sets his Pokemon loose on people- he's, like, invincible now, he's been training ever since he was beaten by White... you know, he's the one who found out about Missingno and M. They say that M&M, no pun intended, recognize his life force, and that if you get really close to him and then REALLY fast get to where M&M live, they'll come out! Somewhere in Cinnabar or the Seafoam Islands, I think... I know it's an island..."  
  
"Oh, please, spare me your weird superstition. Honestly, wired old men..." I said, waving her off. ".... but who's White- oh, never mind!! I don't' care!! All these stupid color names! Honestly, who would name their child Purple or Pink??"  
  
"Well, you see, the very first Pokemon Champ was a girl by the name of Violet, and then there was Aqua after her. It sorta became a trend with parents who wanted their kids to become champs. Looks like it worked, huh?"  
  
"-_-; let's get out of here." I muttered. Marcel was still busy slurping up her tea when we left the center. We wandered around aimlessly, talking about random people and Pokemon when we ended up in front of the Jungle.   
  
"Oh, I love these kinds of things! See, we subconsciously walked over here to catch a grass-type! It's our destiny!"  
  
"-_-;; actually, I decided to head here about half an hour ago." I said humorlessly.  
  
"^_^;; Right." at that, Marcel suddenly let a stream of lightning, aimed into the branches of a big tropical tree, and a cry of pain emanated from it. A few Pidgeys flew frantically out into the open, but a prize dropped out from it, a bit crisp. I whipped my Pokedex out again.   
  
"Celeifa... grass/flying... the flower bird Pokemon... Celeifa are found only in the jungles of Tando, as with many rare grass Pokemon. Their wonderful smell attracts many Victreebel, and occasionally they will fight to protect them, but this only occurs in the deep jungle areas."  
  
A small cloud of sand had erupted where it fell, but it didn't faze the Celeifa, who was about ten inches high, like a big hummingbird. His chest was covered in small round petal-like feathers, and his sharp beak was curved down over them. In contrast, its relatively big wings were fluffy and green, and on its head was a small crown of pointed crimson thorns. I suspected, though, the good smell was coming from its tail, which was a long yellow frond, covered in small, puckery yellow Honeysuckle flowers. I couldn't miss this opportunity.   
  
"Marcel, try to bring it down so it can't run -er- fly!" I cried, and Jas brought Ruby close for backup. Marcel hurled herself at the Celeifa, who was indeed getting ready to flee. She missed by an inch, but let out a stream of electricity, faltering the Celeifa once again, giving Marcel a chance to force it back to ground with a tail club.  
  
"Fury swipes!" I cried, desperate to get the rare Pokemon in one of my Pokeballs. Marcel had managed to hold him down by his tail, and was now pummeling the bird in a boxing-like manner. The Celeifa cried out in pain and anger, and immediately a vine shot up from the ground, wrapping itself around Marcel's legs.   
  
"Huh?" I muttered, and my Pokedex chirped:  
  
"Plantasm... A grass-type move... this attack is often a last resort move, because once a Pokemon uses it, the Pokemon cannot use any attack for an hour. It is an extremely unpredictable move. It is first learned when a Pokemon is in extreme danger, like if a grass Pokemon fell off a cliff and used the attack, a tree might suddenly appear to break its fall."  
  
"Wonderful.." I said sarcastically, watching poor Marcel struggle, trying to keep Celeifa on the ground.   
  
"Ruby, cut those vines!" My excitement came back to me in a rush as Ruby scuttled over and cut Marcel's binds.  
  
"Now! Take Down!" Celeifa was on the verge of escaping through the forest's canopy, when Marcel did an acrobatic tree-jump and pummeled him to the ground, a perfect opening for my Pokeball. I tossed my only Fast Ball, and started to silently pray...  
  
One twitch....two.....three............caught!!   
  
"OH yeah!!" I cried, flinging myself onto the ball, but Jas gave me a sly grin.   
  
"Now we're even!"  
  
"Huh?..." then I remembered letting Jas catch Ruby.  
  
"Oh! Yeah!" I said, and thanked her for her help.  
  
"Boy, I didn't realize we'd gone so far in the forest..." she said a bit shakily, and I realized what she meant.  
  
"We.... we're lost!!" I fell on my knees, "How could I have not noticed going this far?"  
  
"Stay cool!! You have a flying-type, remember?" said Marcel, weakened from the fight.  
  
"Oh, right ^_^;;" I gave her a potion, and brought out Celeifa so I could give her one, too.   
  
"So, Celeifa, I'm your trainer... My name's Umi, this is Jas. Uh, do you want a nickname?" She gave a hoarse cheep. "Oh, right, you don't have a translator. Sorry. I'll take that as a yes, then." I gave her a potion, too. "Listen.. could you fly up and sort of point which way the city is?" she scowled. "Great... another Marcel" The Celeifa looked at Marcel, scowled harder and flew up above the trees.  
  
"Have you thought about which region you want to go to next?" asked Jas cheekily.  
  
"Thinking a bit too ahead, aren't you?" I replied, cocking an eyebrow.   
  
"Well, we should have everything planned out! I suggest Kanto, anyway."  
  
"Kanto? Who Kanto?"   
  
"I'm curious! You know, Ash, Gary, Red, Blue, Yellow and Green were born there."  
  
"Ah, yes, the stupid name squad."  
  
"Well, it was a long time ago! Maybe color-names were popular then!"  
  
"Whatever you say. And, excuse me, it WAS only fourteen years ago."  
  
"Only?? That's our entire lives you're talking about there, Umi! Besides, it's more than fourteen years- that's only when Red won the name of Pokemon Champion! Which means he was born, like, 15 years before that and, if I'm not mistaken, I believe people are named at around the time they're born!" At that moment Celeifa, still scowling, plummeted back down through the trees and pointed with a fluffy wing a bit to our left.   
  
"A bit to our left we go!" I said cheerfully, pointing in the direction, and started to walk.  
  
"Um...... Umi?.."  
  
"Hm?"  
  
She pointed down in the sand, where I noticed our jumbled footsteps in the sand. They were coming from the opposite direction Celeifa had pointed. We stared daggers at him.  
  
"..........Celi, Celi-eif." She said sheepishly.  
  
"Damn bird...." Mumbled Marcel, and off we went in the opposite direction.  
  
~*~*~*~*~ 


	3. An Experience to Remember

Foolish Games  
  
Part 1: The Mind and the Eye  
  
Chapter 3: An Experience To Remember  
  
Date:   
  
-_-; No reviews!! T_T shame, people, shame. Lol, just kidding. I'll keep updating, just veeeeeery slowly. REVIEWS! anyways, Celeifa from the last chapter is MINE, and so's the gang, the new regions, etc. You can use 'em with my permission, though. Lord knows I've got enough regions to spare X} Ah likes regions. Anyways, new chapter, new stuff... and a surprise!! Maybe even, *gasp*, a CLIFFHANGER!! O btw, the parts NOT including Umi Aisaki etc., but the Legends, don't worry about understanding those parts ;) just part o' the plot. Gotta read! Chao!  
  
~Shirasham  
  
Disclaimer: Naw, I don't own Pokemon '^'  
  
We stood in front of what seemed to be the gym. Its shape was odd, like two big, perfectly round hills, the smaller one about half the size of the other. It made me think of a Squirtle's head and shell bobbing in water, except with a soft dirt-ish color.   
  
"Well... this is the first step to defeating the Champion!" said Jas with awe.   
  
"..."  
  
"... you DO know who the Champion is now, right?"  
  
"........"  
  
"..............."  
  
"Okay, okay!! So I forgot his name!!"  
  
"0o0 It's not even a guy!! That was the LAST Champion!!"  
  
"_ well- my mom wanted to watch some homemaking show during the battle!! For pete's sake, that battle was two years ago!!"  
  
"I don't believe it!! You're a TRAINER!! You don't know!! The CHAMPION, Umi, the CHAMPION!!"  
  
"Smite me, why don't you!!"  
  
We must have looked like lunatics standing out in front of the weird-looking gym, screaming our heads off at each other. After about half an hour, though, we quit and went inside. Somehow, our argument had ended up about whether or not peaches were fattening.  
  
"Well, I don't care, they're too much for- ah!" As soon as we stepped in we flew to the ground, just barely missing a 'watch your step!' sign planted about two feet away. Unfortunately, since it WAS a ground gym, we got a faceful of dirt. Our first competitor ambled up to us, a young sandy-haired boy with amber eyes, in casual dress.  
  
"Do you wish to challenge the leader of this gym?  
  
"er- *cough*- yes.." the gym was shaped like one of those 8-balls, with a flat sand-covered floor. The man grinned.   
  
"You will have to fight me, then."  
  
I took a deep breath, and enlarged Scout's (that's what I nicknamed Celeifa due to his 'spectacular' guiding skills) Pokeball. My opponent was fast, though, and had let out his Pokemon already.  
  
"Let's see if you can beat my Stadune!" Ah, I remember Stadune. My Pokedex droned before I could collect my thoughts:   
  
"Dunami...a Stadune... a ground/steel type... the desert shell Pokemon... Stadune are very commonly found in or near sand, except when it's on a beach. They bury down into the sand to escape the heat, and hunt at night. Stadune are closely related to Sandshrew, and are thought to be a hybrid of them. Trainer: Lanis Diganic."  
  
-_- great, a half steel-type. The Pokemon didn't look that menacing, though. It's cute kangaroo-ish face and ears betrayed the hard look in its amber eyes, and its neck arched gracefully up from its pure steel shell. It was in a sitting position, with its long tail in the air to balance, and its extremely powerful arms, tipped with dangerously metal-like claws that resembled long, pointed fingers just skimming the ground. Its legs were no comparison to its arms, though, and while they had claws they had no ankles, and sitting or walking seemed to be their only use. Scout scoffed quietly behind me and took flight.  
  
"All-out?" I asked him soberly, but he wasn't paying attention to me.  
  
"Isn't that a grade B Pokemon?"  
  
"Uh..." I silently wished I had checked with my Pokedex.  
  
"It is!" He finished for me. "Wow, where did you find him?" I frowned.  
  
"In the jungle, like, two minutes from here! Right on the edge of it!" He laughed for a moment, but cut short.   
  
"But... there ARE no Celeifa here. None. At all."  
  
"-_- riiiight."  
  
"No, really! I've checked ALL the Pokemon here grades B and up, and there's no Celeifa! I'd know! I love grass-types, but this guy was my first Pokemon." He indicated to his Stadune. "I'm going to get a grass-type the first chance I get. And besides... even if there WERE one or two near here, why would one be on the very edge of the forest at that precise moment, when you were there?"  
  
"0_0 Well, jeez! I don't know! I saw it and caught it, end of story! What do you want from me??"  
  
"^_^;; oh, sorry. I sort of tune out to other people when I'm trying to figure something out."  
  
"Riiight. Anyways, I guess you had at least one in the forest. I'll ask him about it once I get a translator."  
  
"Cool! Could you do me a favor?"  
  
"-_-; what's the favor?"  
  
"Call me and tell me what he says? Here's my number. The name's Lanis."  
  
"^_^ oh, is that all? Sure!... You know, I'm really itching to get a translator. Maybe after this I'll have Nao send one over. Oh, the battle?"  
  
"Right! Okay, let's start!" Scout awoke on my shoulder with a prod.   
  
"Get out there!" I whispered, and he floated exasperatedly in front of Lanis' Stadune.  
  
"I'm warning you, I'm first in line for the gym leader position. Don't take it easy on me!"  
  
"I wouldn't worry about that" I said with a grin, and before I realized what happened, Dunami the Stadune had vaulted himself towards Scout, claws glistening in an unseen light, for a take down attack that Scout nimbly dodged.  
  
"No fair! Scout, Leech Seed!" with a scowl, he obeyed, and with the flip of a wing, two yellowish green seeds collided with Dunami's forearm, and two small vines wrapped themselves around in a death-grip. Dunami clawed and bit at them, but to no avail while a small ball of energy erupted from the seeds and was absorbed by Scout.  
  
"Dunami, forget the seeds! Use a sand-attack, then bite!" Fueled by fury, he grabbed a good-sized lump of sand and flung it directly into Scout's face- well, practically his whole upper body. This caused the Celeifa to furiously spin around in circles, since he had no hands to wipe his face, but was interrupted when Dunami's jaws tore a good bit of feathers from his wing. He chirped angrily, and wavered a bit in the air, having lost some balance. Another ball of energy drifted to Scout, and a few of his feathers were restored.  
  
"Scout, razor leaf! And dodge his attacks!" A barrage of knife-sharp leaves cut into Dunami, doing even more damage because of the slight type advantage. The Stadune endured this, though, and managed to deflect a few leaves off his shell.  
  
"Sandstorm!" Once the razor leaf attack ceased, he faced Scout with a new light of bravery, and the air in the room seemed to vibrate and spin around him. Sensing the danger, Scout flattened himself against the ground suddenly, and just in time, as a title wave of air and sand poured down on them. It seemed to have no effect on Dunami, but it took almost all of the Celeifa's strength to keep from being flung about in the air. I shielded my eyes and screamed to Scout something only he could hear. Using the last of his resolve, he let go of the soft ground and managed to flatten himself against the wall the sandstorm seemed to be blowing mostly towards. Dunami, meanwhile, inched closer with a look of triumph mingled with fury on his otherwise cute face. But I had a plan.  
  
At once, Scout quickly called upon the wind and started flapping manically, creating a whirlwind directly against the force of the sandstorm, which was also the direction Dunami stood. As Scout completed the attack, he slowly slid down the wall, valid of any remaining energy. He didn't need any, however. The whirlwind's force mingled with that of the sandstorm, and as Dunami looked confusedly up at his elemental creation, a miniature twister slowly formed of the colliding forces of wind, and Dunami's shape was distorted by the sandy wind. In my pocket, My Pokedex played the cute little sound it does occasionally.  
  
"*Bum, bada dum dum dum duuum!* Scout learned Dustdevil!" Yes!!  
  
I couldn't help but feel worried, though, as the mini twister ravaged Dunami so. But Scout couldn't control the force of nature any longer, and as it hit the rounded wall of the gym, it died down and started raining sand. Dunami was out cold.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Wow, that's some Pokemon... uh- anyways-" He said nervously as I gave him my patented give-me-my-money look. "Here you go." He handed over four items. I scanned them thoroughly.   
  
"Mmm, 300P! Nice.. TM 30! Isn't that steel wing? Thank you!!" I paused at the third item. "Is this...?"  
  
"Yeah! See, I'm the gym leader's son. So I meant what I said about being first in line for the title of Gym Leader. While my dad's away, I take over. Only have one Pokemon, of course, but it can beat two of my dad's and still put another in the Center." I gazed at the small glossy object again. It was tan, and the same shape of the gym. I felt a surge of triumph.  
  
"OH yeah!!! Again, another IMPOSSIBLE victory for Umi Aisaki as she conquers yet another obstacle on her path to greatness!!"  
  
"^_^;; and this,..." He picked up the last item, a minimized Pokeball. "Is very special. My dad would kill me if he saw I had this. I was going to leave this gym, so I wouldn't only have to use ground-types, but now I see there's a whole lot more I can learn here from the challengers before I finally decide to leave."  
  
"I... uh.. thank you, Lanis! It's a Pokemon, then?"  
  
"Yeah! Grade A! You have no idea how hard it is for me to give it away. Now go, before I change my mind." I glanced to Jas, who had been admiring my exhausted (but still able to brag, as I'm sure he was doing by the sound of his smug cheeps) Scout. Wow- if Marcel was a grade D Pokemon, then I wonder what kind of Pokemon makes it to A? Nevertheless, I gave another thank-you grin to Lanis, grabbed Jas and Scout and left.  
  
"H-hey! I wanted to fight him too! What's the big deal?-" I gleefully put away my badge, money and TM.  
  
"This!!" I held out the now maximized Pokeball.  
  
"An item?" she asked curiously.  
  
"No, a Pokemon!"  
  
"Which one?"  
  
"Let's find out."  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Knowledge, in truth, is the great sun in the firmament. Life and power are scattered with all its beams.. Spoken by the only true human genius ever. When the mistress wake up again?"  
  
"Soon, now. Last time, before she went to sleep, she told me it would be to help the next."  
  
"The next?"  
  
"The next.. chosen. You know."  
  
"Oh, of course. Does she know everything?"  
  
Mewtwo smiled. "IF she does, she hides it well. What are you doing here, exactly? The guards shouldn't have let you in." He glared unintentionally, at the young Legend. He never liked the room, but the Oracle had always requested it for when it was time again. He sometimes wondered if she was even aware of her surroundings when she went into one of her trances. He half hoped she was, after all, he had to stay and wait with her until she woke up, if she could see him or not, which could be centuries, even. He had to be there to record exactly what she said when she woke up. They were a team. The masters of the growing Legendary community. The Mind and the Eye. It wasn't that bad, though, he could travel just as well by mind as by foot. Or flight, for that matter. One of the advantages of being psychic. He had to save his energy, though, to protect the prophet, if need be. He usually called on Popokko, the Celebi, to check on things. Although they both knew he had no reign over her with her time-traveling abilities, she was still faithful to him as a leader. The Delquatro looked around fearfully, as if wondering if he had any monsters ready to attack if she said anything wrong.  
  
"I've brought a message." She said shakily.   
  
"Oh? From whom?"  
  
She lowered her voice. "Someone named Arachon." she held out a covered stone tablet, demonstrating her wing dexterity. I stared at it for a moment.  
  
"Thank you, Delquatro." It was polite to call another legend by their species, except with Demises, a.k.a. Oriana. She turned to leave.  
  
"Wait- could you do me a favor, Delquatro?"  
  
"Of course, sir. What is it?"  
  
"Could you go down to Aeria and tell Dezcinco (pronounced 'dez-sin-coh') to stay put, for once in his now shortened life?" She swallowed and said hoarsely,  
  
"De-Dezcinco, sir?"  
  
He looked her straight in the eye, unnerving her. "Yes, Dezcinco." He could see her pale immensely, even through her feathers.  
  
".... yes... yes, sir." she said weakly, and left, leaving Mewtwo alone again. He skimmed through the hastily written note, and his eyes widened in the gloom of the room called Adagio.  
  
"Please wake up soon, Mew..." he whispered to the white glowing figure in the center of the seemingly endless room, "I'm going to need your help.."  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
I threw the Pokeball with such enthusiasm I'm surprised I didn't break a window. And from a stream of energy came no other than the water-type starter of Tando, Pendoma!  
  
"Awwwww!" Jas squealed as the cute water-type emerged. IT was much like a bird, except without wings. At the base of his neckbone, a thick ring of feathers made themselves visible in a V-shape, the color of ocean froth. His cute head was shapely, and his mouth ended in a downward-pointing peak, much like a beak. (*hay! A rhyme!*) From up its feathery collar its silky skin was pure white, but below the collar it was a deep azure, but not pure, it was like the very surface of the ocean, and its feathers seemed to reflect light. Its legs were short and scaly, ending in pointed midnight blue claws. Its tail was its most distinctive feature, the points rose up in an arc that curved towards its head, but pointed down in the end, in two parts. One point was much larger than the other, giving it a curved checkmark-like appearance. Its -^_^- face almost comically resembled Jas.   
  
"Ohhh! These are supposed to be so strong! Oh, but wait... isn't it against the rules to trade or something?"  
  
"To TRADE, yes, but hey, no exchange, no trade! It was a gift!" I said before I had even quenched the fear of a million Pokemon League agents swooping down on me atop angry Dragonites.   
  
"Oh, right! ^_^ good thing, eh? You couldn't pry a PENDOMA from my cold dead hands!!" Me neither.  
  
"Pendoma... water-type... the aqua feather Pokemon... these Pokemon usually live in icy places or mountain rivers. Colonies of Pendoma, however, are almost always found near underwater lakes or waterfalls. Pendoma usually have a cheerful disorder, and get along wonderfully with others, especially Totodile. It is extremely difficult to catch one with its herd without one of a Silower's evolutions because they are guarded so fiercely by their kind, and even known to be protected by Dewgong and Lapras... Trainers Temperament: Pendoma try very hard to please their trainers on the battlefield, but they can be a bit wandering at times... Pendoma drink water often and enjoy mushrooms, wild ferns and random gems and precious rocks."  
  
"You're SO lucky, I can't believe it! Maybe he'll give me a SILOWER!! Probably the most powerful starter Pokemon of all time! LEMME AT HIM!" She said, and right before she stormed into the gym, the ground started to shake ever so slightly. Jas immediately froze where she was, balanced on one foot while she listened.  
  
"What is that??" I whispered as if afraid the tiny earthquake would grow larger if it heard me. Suddenly, a great shadow passed over us. We, including Marcel and Scout, stood staring straight up with our mouths hanging open. Still in my hand, my Pokedex said calmly:  
  
"Raphoenin... dragon/light... the color light Pokemon... this Legendary Pokemon is said to live in Armado, but no proof has ever been found even of its existence except for some ancient references to it in the Oval Library. It is said to be a female, and that she often fights for leadership of the regions with her brother, Raeborn. Raphoenin's tail is said to be the cure for all illnesses and injuries, even death."   
  
I heard none of this, though, as I stared at the brilliant crimson goddess above me, with a long tail that could only resemble the greatest show of fireworks imaginable. 


End file.
